Matsuri festivals, traditionally held throughout Japan to ward off bad luck and pray for a bountiful harvest, have long been canceled due to the effects of COVID-19.
At this year's festival, the first in four years, there was a whirlpool of enthusiasm as people danced, shouted, and engaged in friendly competition with each other as if to release the energy that had been building up like magma. The vortex spread out, engulfing and melting people together, and the writhing and churning scene was like a gigantic living organism.
A dancer came out from the center of the whirlpool and said, "Today is a memorable day that marks the dawn of a long day”.
